Most registered Republicans think President Donald Trump is doing a good job, but they are split over whether another GOP candidate should challenge him for their party’s nomination in 2020, a new Iowa Poll from March 2019 shows.
Adam Wilson, Wochit

DES MOINES, Iowa – Most registered Republicans think President Donald Trump is doing a good job, but they are split over whether another GOP candidate should challenge him for their party’s nomination in 2020, a new Iowa Poll shows.

The Iowa Poll, sponsored by the Des Moines Register, CNN and Mediacom, also finds 90 percent of registered Republicans want Trump to run a positive re-election campaign, focusing on the good things he’s done for the country. Just 4 percent want him to focus on attacking opponents – one of the president’s trademarks.

The poll asked registered Republicans how they view Trump’s performance and prospects. Eighty-one percent approve of the job he is doing as president. That’s the same level of approval as in a December Iowa Poll. Just 12 percent of Iowa Republicans disapprove of the job he’s doing, and 7 percent are unsure.

Several other Republicans nationally have indicated they might challenge Trump for the party’s 2020 nomination. The new Iowa Poll shows registered Republicans in the state are split on hoping for a challenger: 40 percent hope there will be one, and 41 percent hope there won't. Nineteen percent are unsure.

A handful of possible challengers tested in the poll remain unknown quantities to many Iowa Republicans.

The poll of 400 registered Iowa Republicans has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. It was conducted by Selzer & Co. from March 3-6.

Big GOP majorities like Trump, plan to vote for him

President Donald Trump signs a Bible as he greets people at Providence Baptist Church in Smiths Station, Alabama, on Friday, March 8, 2019, as he tours areas where tornadoes killed 23 people in Lee County, Alabama.(Photo: Carolyn Kaster, AP)

The president has gained in popularity since registered Iowa Republicans were last polled in December. Eighty-two percent now view him favorably, up 5 percentage points, and 15 percent view him unfavorably, down 3 percentage points.

Thurman, 71, said she wishes Trump would focus more of his energy on promoting his ideas and less of it on attacking his opponents.

"I don’t really care for the way he spouts off about things," she said. "I don’t think he always thinks things through beforehand."

Poll participant William Horning, 73, also supports Trump but would like the president to tone down his approach.

"I wish he would quit tweeting as much as he does," Horning said. "I think if he would keep his mouth shut more, he might do better."

But Horning said Trump’s combative manner seems to be part of who he is.

"It’s a typical New York attitude," he said.

Loading...

Most support emergency powers use to fund wall

Trump invoked emergency powers last month after Congress declined to approve the $5.7 billion he demanded for a border wall. The decision sparked legal challenges, and the House of Representatives, led by Democrats, voted to block his declaration. The Senate is expected to vote on the issue soon.

The new Iowa Poll shows 63 percent of Iowa Republicans believe that Trump had the right to use emergency powers to obtain border-wall money and that it was the right thing to do. Six percent believe that he had the legal right to do so, but that it was the wrong thing to do. Twenty percent think he did not have the right to use emergency powers that way; and 6 percent are unsure.

Travis Klinefelter, of Dubuque, and Cindy Hoffman, of Independence, watch the rain fall from under a tent at the from of the line of people waiting to see President Donald Trump speak outside the Mid-America Center on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Council Bluffs. Klinefelter and Hoffman, the Front Row Joe's of Iowa, arrived in Council Bluffs at 1:00 A.M. to ensure their spot at the front of the line. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Joy Waggoner, of Newell, walks through the rain while waiting for the start of President Donald Trump's rally in the Mid-America Center on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Council Bluffs. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A long line of people circles around the Mid-America Center and it's surrounding buildings on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Council Bluffs and hundreds of people wait in the rain to hear President Donald Trump speak. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Video of President Donald Trump speaking plays on a large screen outside of the Mid-America Center where people are waiting to hear the President speak on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Council Bluffs. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

A long line of people circles around the Mid-America Center and it's surrounding buildings on Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Council Bluffs and hundreds of people wait in the rain to hear President Donald Trump speak. Kelsey Kremer/The Register

Possible GOP primary challengers?

The new Iowa Poll also asked Iowa Republicans how they feel about former Starbucks leader Howard Schultz, who is considering an independent run for president.

Sixty-one percent say they’re unsure about Schultz. Nearly three times as many respondents have an unfavorable view of him as have a favorable view (28 percent to 10 percent).

Among potential Republican challengers tested, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who ran for president in 2016, is best known, the poll suggests. Twenty-seven percent of Iowa Republicans have a favorable view of Kasich, but about just as many, 28 percent, have an unfavorable view. Forty-five percent are unsure.

Most Iowa Republicans don’t know what to make of two other potential Republican challengers to Trump, the poll shows.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld is in a similar position with Iowa Republicans, the poll shows. Eighty-one percent say they are unsure how to feel about Weld; 15 percent have an unfavorable view; and just 4 percent have a favorable view.

Those who hope no Republican challenges Trump are more likely to say the president is doing a good job. Ninety-seven percent of them approve of his job performance. Just 63 percent of Iowa Republicans who are rooting for a GOP challenger approve of the job Trump is doing.

Eighty-two percent of Iowa Republicans who don’t want a GOP challenger say they are almost certain or fairly confident Trump will win re-election. Among Iowa Republicans who want to see a primary election challenger, just 37 percent are almost certain or fairly confident Trump will win re-election.

Loading...

Loading...

About this poll

The Iowa Poll, conducted March 3-6, 2019, for The Des Moines Register, CNN and Mediacom by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines, is based on telephone interviews with 401 registered voters in Iowa who say they will definitely or probably attend the 2020 Democratic caucuses and 400 registered Republicans.

Interviewers with Quantel Research contacted 1,618 randomly selected active voters from the Iowa secretary of State’s voter-registration list by telephone. The sample was supplemented with additional phone number lookups. Interviews were administered in English. Responses for all contacts were adjusted by age and sex to reflect their proportions among active voters in the list. For the registered Republican sample, responses for the 418 registered Republican contacts were adjusted by age and sex to reflect their proportions among active registered Republicans in the voter registration list.

Questions based on the sample of 401 voters likely to attend the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses have a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points, as does the sample of 400 registered Republicans. This means that if this survey were repeated using the same questions and the same methodology, 19 times out of 20, the findings would not vary from the true population value by more than plus or minus 4.9 percentage points. Results based on smaller samples of respondents — such as by gender or age — have a larger margin of error.

Republishing the copyright Iowa Poll without credit to The Des Moines Register, CNN, and Mediacom is prohibited.